Daisy Reversi Game Rules

The rules of Reversi are fairly simple but lead to a great many combinations and strategic decisions.
The game always begins on an empty game field with four pieces in the center square, as shown in the following figure:

The opponents make their moves by turns. To make a possible move, you have to place your piece on the free game field cell so that it reverses (changes the color of) at least one opponent piece. To reverse the opponent piece you have to wrap this piece between your new piece and your old piece. For example, if your pieces are black, then make a move as shown in the following figure:

As you can see, the opponent piece between your pieces was reversed and became yours. This is the main principle of the Reversi game. There also can be more than one opponent piece in one or more lines between your new piece and your old pieces in either of eight vertical, horizontal, or diagonal directions. The following figure shows fragment of a real-life game when opponent pieces are reversed in three directions (indicated by red lines). Note that these lines must contain no intervals (free cells).

The game is finished when neither of the players has any possible moves. If only one player has no possible move, but his (her) opponent does then this player passes his (her) move and the game goes on. A player can pass the move only if he (she) has no possible move. The winner is the person who has the most pieces of his or her own color at the end of the game.

Advice about the game strategy:

Note that though the purpose of the game is having the most pieces at the end, grabbing the most pieces on every move is not a winning strategy. Material advantage can change substantially after each move. So think about opponent response and use other strategies.

Note that the corner cells are especially important. Pieces on corner cells can never be reversed. So try to occupy these cells especially at the beginning of the game and try to keep your opponent out of these cells.

In many cases, the more possible moves you have, the better for you. So try to maximize your possible moves and minimize your opponent possible moves.